Every home needs a facelift after it’s been lived in for a while. You might have taken good care of your humble abode but paint fades, furnishings wear out, and kids come along to make a mess of everything. If you’re feeling a little uninspired by the current state of your household then you might want to look into giving it a bit of a facelift. Here are some tips to help you do so.
The bedroom.
Let’s start with one of the most important rooms in the house. Whilst you may only spend eight to ten hours of your doing in this room (and you’re asleep for most of them), this doesn’t detract from the fact that the state of your bedroom greatly affects your perception of your home as a whole. If you don’t have a comfortable place to retreat at the end of the evening and get a good night’s sleep then it ruins the feel of the place that you’re trying to call “home”.
You might want to start improving this space by looking at the bed itself. Perhaps you’re not getting a good night’s sleep because the mattress is old and worn out; sometimes a spring might have gone so you could potentially look into a good spring manufacturer to try and fix that problem and save what is, otherwise, a great mattress. Whatever the solution, you definitely need to start with a comfortable bed. Moving out from that, the aesthetic of your bedroom also greatly affects how comfortable you feel in it. A fresh coat of paint on the walls (and perhaps some furnishings) could rejuvenate this space and make it feel brand new. A coat of white paint is very neutral and also a great way to brighten up any room by reflecting the natural sunlight which pours through your windows (that’s a good tip for any room in your house).
The kitchen.
The kitchen is one of the most important rooms of the house. It’s not only the place in which you’ll prepare all (or the majority) of your meals but it’s also probably one of the main social zones of your house. Everybody congregates here to eat, so it’s important that this is a comfortable and inviting zone. You can improve your kitchen with a little DIY work so don’t go telling yourself that you need to fork out thousands to improve it.
The garden.
Don’t neglect your outdoor space. The garden is just as much a part of your home as any other room in the house. Give it a tidy up, much as you would when the kitchen becomes a mess, because you might find that you’re far more inclined to go out and enjoy this outdoor space once you start keeping on top of mowing the lawn and perhaps planting new flowerbeds. Give yourself an incentive to get out there and enjoy this extra room of your house. You could even look into getting an extension put onto the house so that you have a lovely viewing spot of your handiwork in the garden.
Some companies still don’t quite understand how important it is to have a blog on their website. It’s understandable. If you’re a business owner – a small business owner at that – then you’ll already have enough responsibilities on your plate without worrying about writing a blog that people may or may not read. The truth is, though, that blogs are effective; you’ll have many more website visitors if you have one than if you don’t. If you think that you don’t have the time to write and publish blogs, take a look at our tips below.
You’re not always working. You have a commute, whether that’s on public transport or in your vehicle. This is the perfect time to “write” a blog. You can get the idea, outline, and general tone of your blog within thirty minutes. If you have a commute that at least that long, then what are you waiting for? If you commute via bus or subway, have a pen and paper and jot down your ideas. If you’re in a car, then use your phone’s voice recording application. It won’t cut into the time you should be spending on your business, and you’ll have plenty of blog posts!
Getting Your Ideas
Sometimes, it’s not the time to write the blog that’s the problem: it’s finding the time to brainstorm ideas for blog topics. This is difficult, especially if you’re in a not so glamorous business and creative topics are difficult to come by. If this is the case, first of all, remember that not every blog needs to have people on the edge of their seats: it just has to be useful to them in some way. If you’re really in a pinch, use a blog idea generator website for inspiration.
Quickly Format and Post
Very often it’s not the blog writing process that is time-consuming, but the formatting and posting aspects that can take up too much time. When looking for a blog hosting website, use one that is easy to use, so you’re not wasting time looking for the important buttons. There are also a number of online HTML and text tools that’ll enable you to format your blog post correctly, even if it’s just in a simple text document. If you add a couple of free images from sites like Pexels.com or Pixabay.com, you’ll have a fully formed blog post, and it’ll only have taken a few minutes.
Get Outside Help
If you’re really struggling for time, then you can always look at bringing in outside help to get the job done. There are companies that’ll create, write, and post blog posts for you, or you can look at hiring a student intern at your company.
Don’t Look For Perfection
Finally, remember that it’s possible to overthink a blog post. They should be good, of course, but casual readers aren’t looking for the next Hemingway, so it doesn’t have to be perfect. If it’s free from errors, useful, and enjoyable to read, then that’s all there is to it!
As you are reading this, there are approximately 75,600 people waiting for a transplant and a new person is added to the list every 10 minutes. Not only that, but 20 people sadly lose their lives every day due to no donor being available to them. Add to Flipboard Magazine.
There are a number of factors which prevent more people from getting the life-saving treatment they need. A big one being that a large proportion of organs that are donated are not actually suitable for transplant,and another being the difficulties with finding a match; you can’t just transplant any old organ into any body – there needs to be a tissue match and finding one can take a lot of time, which is unfortunately, something a lot of people on the transplant list don’t have. Being one of those people whose health is compromised while waiting for a new organ, or a member of their family, can be frustrating, desperate and completely heartbreaking, but there is some hope. There are lots of new things happening in the medical field, which could change the future of organ transplants and ensure fewer people die waiting for them, much sooner than you might think. Here are a few of them:
Bone Marrow Transplants
Bone marrow transplants have long been used to fight conditions such as blood cancer, as you will probably know, but they could soon be helping organ recipients to live a more normal life without the fear of organ rejection and the numerous drugs they must take to suppress their immune system and prevent rejection thanks to some forward thinking by a few brilliant people, who you can find out about at http://www.massgeneral.org/cts/. Massachusetts General Hospital’s transplant team have been trying out a new technique whereby they transplant donors’ bone marrow along with their organs, and it seems to have a mitigating effect on organ rejection without the drugs and the many side effects they bring.
It works by tricking the immune system into thinking the implanted organ is a natural part of the body, rather than a foreign invader that needs to be fought. Of course, a lot more research needs to be conducted in this area, but the future certainly looks brighter for transplant recipients in this respect.
Gene Editing Technologies
At HeraBioLabs.com, you can find out all about cutting edge gene technologies, which are making it easier to study the efficacy of various drugs. Similar gene editing techniques could also be used, some people believe, to edit the genes of pigs to create human organs for transplant, which would be one way of cutting down on the needless deaths of people on the transplant list. Artificial Organs Of course, there are researchers who are working towards a completely different solution to the problem altogether – artificial organs. These are organs that are completely manufactured by scientists, which means that, unlike natural organs, they could be made to really last a lifetime. Right now, researchers are developing organs which are bioartificial in nature, which are capable of keeping patients alive until a suitable organ is found, but it is thought that, in the not too distant future, we will have access to artificial organs that are as good as the ones we’re born with. There are some signs that this will happen very soon; take for example the artificial heart created by SynCardia systems which has already successfully kept a patient alive for almost four years and you can see that this is not merely a pipe dream,but a very real,life changing innovation that could soon be the norm.
3D Organ Printing
Image source If you think printing your own bicycle frame or creating an action figure that’s an exact replica of yourself is impressive, you’ll be blown away by this Ted Talk by Dr. Anthony Atala in which he discusses the possibility of using 3D printer to create new organs and tissues for the body using a mixture of stem cells and biomaterials to create what is basically a working organ for anyone who needs one. It’s mind blowing to even think about this, but he puts forward a very solid case whereby researchers gather data, using CT scans, about the patient’s organs and then use this to print out, layer-upon-layer a perfect replica of the failing organ using cells and biomaterials. We’re probably a while away from this sort of thing becoming the norm, but when it does, it could certainly help to plug the gap between organ donors and people waiting for a transplant. I mean, scientists have already successfully printed a human ear, so anything is possible. Equipment to Keep Organs Alive Outside of the Body One of the problems with human organs is that they need to be kept inside a living body, being removed very quickly after death, if they are to be of any use to the recipient. Although medical staff do their best to ensure that no suitable organ is ever wasted, unfortunately, this isn’t always the case, due to time and distance restraints. That’s why it’s so exciting to hear that something like the Toronto XVIVO Lung Perfusion System exists. This amazing piece of machinery enables organs to remain in good condition outside of the body for longer periods of time, so that they don’t lose viability and so that medical professionals can do more detailed checks on them to ensure that they are truly suitable for transplant. As you can see, scientists and medical professionals are doing anything but rest on their laurels when it comes to trying to improve organ transplants for the people who really need them. Although many of the techniques listed in this post are still a while away from being used routinely, they are much closer to being a reality than you might think and they are set to revolutionize the care and treatment of transplant patients everywhere. No one wants to be sick, but should the worst happen and someone born today need a life-saving transplant, it’s unlikely they’ll have much to worry about thanks to today’s pioneers.
Everybody goes into business thinking that it’ll be a matter of getting creative, putting their stamp on the firm, and waiting for the world to take notice. Unfortunately, it’s very rarely so straightforward. While you’ll have plenty of ideas to get you started, you’ll quickly discover that there are many other people involved in your company, and that means that it can be difficult always to feel like you’re in control of what’s going on. Below, we take a look at five steps you can take so that it always feels like it’s “your company”.
Now, there are advantages to having a business partner; it can bring in new expertise, ideas, and finance, for example. But it’s worth remembering that the person you bring in won’t be delivering these things out of the goodness of their heart: they’ll want an equal say over the direction of the company. Instead of automatically getting a partner, look at bringing in new ideas and expertise through traditional hiring; it’ll provide the same access to the skills you need, but you’ll still be unquestionably in control.
Hire Well
You’re not a dictator; you won’t be able to “control” your employees as such. However, by hiring people you trust and respect you, can ensure that it won’t be your workers who rock the boat and undermine your control of the company. Businesses work best when there’s a clear figurehead at the top; if you’re having disagreements with a trouble making employee, then you’ll quickly lose your sense of authority.
Keeping Investors Out
Sometimes, we’re forced into relinquishing some of our control due to financial issues. If you want to raise money from investors, then you’re going to need to offer them a slice of the pie, and that means they’ll be able to have a say as to which direction the business should be going. If you give more than 50% of your company away to other investors, you’ll suddenly find that you’re a minority voice. Instead, keep the investors out. Use your own money to get things started, and then use a service like businesslineof.credit to keep on top of your cash flow. You can always attract investors later on down the line, but if you do it too early, then you’ll be relinquishing control forever.
Always Think Ahead
It’s important that you keep your eyes on the day to day running of your operations, but you should also have your mind on the future, too. Knowing where you want the company to be in one, three, and five years will focus your attentions and keep the bigger picture of your company at the forefront of your mind, preventing you from becoming sidetracked and losing control.
Choose Your Clients Wisely
You can also lose control by being too dependent on only one client for your business. If one client is making up more than 30% of your revenue, then it will be they, not you, who’s in charge of your company. Keep things mixed up, and never become too reliant on one other organization.
There are plenty of budding entrepreneurs out there who feel they can take the challenge head on, but for every single one of us who fancies ourselves as the new Richard Branson or Nikola Tesla, there are many questions you need to ask yourself before getting your business out there.
It may be a very simple question, but it may be one you haven’t even asked yourself. There will be times when things go wrong, and you will need to be able to know the answer this question. If you cannot, you are going to struggle to retain focus during the tough times. There will be times when you may struggle to keep your business financially afloat, and you may end up feeling desperate and wondering why you got yourself into this mess in the first place. But if you can answer this one simple question it will be the thing to keep you pushing on.
Have I Done Enough Research?
This can never be underestimated, from the various financial options to the current landscape of the marketplace, you need to make sure that you have done more than your fair share of research. From the financial side, there are suitable resources like smallbusinessloans.co, as well as many others that can delve into the details of each type of financing for business. From a standard startup loan to equipment financing, to a business line of credit, it’s vital that you know what you are entitled to, based on your lifestyle and credit score. It’s important for you to keep your personal credit score as high as you possibly can, because starting a business will very likely deplete your credit score at a rapid rate. By having a higher credit score, you’ll be able to borrow more to get your business off the ground.
Do I Understand The Commitment?
Not just in a financial aspect, but you need to be constantly on the hunt for potential clients, customers, suppliers, and these all require networking on a near constant basis at the very outset. The best way to get an idea of who you should align yourself with is to speak to many other entrepreneurs to get an idea of what can go well and what can go wrong. While you can get a lot of benefit on how to run a business by the mistakes you make, if you can find out from similar businesses where they went wrong at the outset, this will stop you doing the same.
Do I Have An Exit Strategy?
No matter how prepared you are, no matter how foolproof your business plan is, and even no matter how much money you have behind you, you need to have a way out just in case it doesn’t go according to plan. It can hurt a lot if you put a lot of money and time in something that doesn’t pay off for you. So if you can find a way to get out with minimal damage, this will give you a bit more confidence to push on with your idea and get it to the best it can be. For some inspiration, there are sites like groundfloorpartners.com which have examples of exit strategies.
These are important things to ask yourself before jumping in, so make sure you know the answers.
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